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Test plans

hey guys just asking for some advice. im working on Lesson 7 SMA 7-4 part b/c. currently ive found loads of test plan templates and information explaining what each section of a test plan has included. but im having some problems in terms of 'what' specific items are to be tested within each section of the IEEE 829 test plan template.

Ok I may of gone above and beyond what designers need to know, but this is how I'd approach teaching and using test plans.
I should add I've shoved this together quickly at my desk and may have a few mistakes in it, but anyway...

Test plans:
The aim of the test plan is to ensure that all of the main parts of the game are tested and checked on a regular basis. To this end, it is essential that you identify the main areas of the game that you want checked on a regular basis. You cannot cover for every eventuality in a test plan; it is unrealistic to think that you can. All you can do is provide a guide to the areas that need checking, and allow your test-team to follow this guide, applying their own tests and experience to the task. It allows leads and management to actively track what has been tested and what is remaining on each version/build that QA receives. The test plan has many uses, aside from giving QA some testing structure it can be used to identify how quickly QA turn around a build, while ensuring important features are covered throughout the test cycle. A typical test plan will cover essential aspects of the game like level progression and unlocks while also pointing out different features to the tester and prompting them on possible ways of breaking these. A test plan should never be the entirety of your testing it should be balanced with free form destructive testing.

When will it be used?
A test-plan will only really be in use from Alpha onwards, when the game contains all of the levels/sections. Up until this time, the test-cycles will be flexible and varied to meet demand. The Lead Test will be responsible for agreeing these test-cycles with the Producer of each project.

How long should it be?
A full test cycle from Alpha onwards would ideally last no longer than 2-3 days in all. This obviously can vary depending on the size of the test team and product, but it is a good thing to aim for. The test cycle would typically take in:
- Regression of bugs marked as fixed in the database
- One cycle of the test plan
- Playthrough’s on all difficulties, of all levels

What should I include in the test plan?
A typical test plan should be broken down into 2 sections:
1. The Front Page, as in the Front Page Template, where the overall progress can be checked and tasks assigned.
2. The Level/Area, as in the Level Template, where the actual test instructions for a level are laid out and all results and comments are recorded by the tester.

Where Do I start?
You should start by assessing the game, either manually or by checking the design documents. See how many levels there are, if it is single player, co-op, multiplayer, if there are varying levels of difficulty?
You should now try breaking down the game into manageable chunks (such as levels), and identify the prevailing characteristics and features of the game. Generally, a game can be broken down into the following test groups, but of course games vary wildly so this cannot be used as a rule.

How do I put this into a test plan?
The key to a successful test plan is to ensure that all main areas of the game are covered by your test team on a regular basis. You can only guide your team towards the areas of the game you want tested and allow their testing skills and application to find the problems with the game. To this end, you should take an overall look at the game and identify the parts/features that are prevalent throughout (using the above list as a guide), and create a basic list of questions and checks that ensures the tester will check these all for each and every level. This will be your template for each level.
Then, you should look at the levels and identify the parts that are individual to each level and compose a set of tests for each level that cover these.
Once this is done, the main level-by-level single player content of your test-plan should be identified.

How do I physically make the test plan?
There should be two main sections to your test plan. The Front Page is where the tester will go first. This part of the test plan is used mainly for the following purposes:
- Assigning tasks to a tester
- Recording overall task progress

The Front Page should be broken down into the following sections:
Area

This column contains hyperlinks to the sections of the test plan such as Level/Part of Level etc
Tested
Not Tested
In Progress
These three columns are used for recording the status of the task. The tester should select only one column at once.

Assigned Tester
Testers name, as assigned by the Lead Test

Estimated Time
How long the Lead Test estimates the section will take

Actual Time
How long the tester took to complete the section

Instructions
Any extra instructions for the tester

Comments
Any comments from the tester regarding the test results, test plan etc

The Level Test Plan is where the level is broken down into a list of questions/checks based on the main areas of the game, as identified earlier. This will be the section that tester follows and fills out, and once complete, they will then record the overall result on the Front Page.
The Level Test Plan should be broken down into the following sections:

Area
Level/Part of Level. Depending on the size of the level, you can break it down into manageable sections if required.

Test Group
Boundary Checking, Cutscenes, Camera, audio, etc

Test
A specific question/test that is part of one of the above test groups

Added Test Instructions
Any added instructions that could not be detailed in the above question, this usually contains anything new added to that section or special tasks sent from the dev team.

Tested?
Where the tester records their progress

Tester
Tester name who completed the test

Comments
Any comments from the tester regarding the test results etc

It’s pretty hard to see from this exactly what I mean. To aid you guys even further I’ve uploaded an example to use with this guide. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NSBVZHWD
It’s quite an old template I’ve not used for a few years but gives an idea of what I’ve mentioned above and how a plan all comes together.

actually darklights this is a fantastic post. really has helped me out by miles. many thanks for this an im much appreciated for the time for this mate. just so u know i wont be nicking ur template as u think, lol. im not that kind of person . ive been trying to work against an actual IEEE 829 document template. was getting confused as to what specific items gets tested in each area of the plan.
Thanks again dark for the time